
Enlightening interviews with remarkable women innovators and leaders about…
Hosted and produced by Joan Michelson, acclaimed journalist, business leader, coach and speaker, based in Washington, DC.
This is your destination for inspiration, trends and insights in clean energy, climate and sustainability from business, policy and technology, to money, the arts and careers – by and for women.
Formerly Green Connections Radio
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
Hosted by acclaimed journalist, speaker and coach
Joan Michelson
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Where Joan’s reporting has appeared:
















“You really get to the heart of what these issues are. The questions you asked, these are not the questions we get every day and I think they’re probably the most important ones.”
Kristin Haffert, Mine The Gap Cofounder
“Joan, thank you for your curiosity and your interest and propelling these issues forward to your audience. It’s really important to have people like you doing this kind of work.”
Laura Liswood,
Secretary General, The Council of
Women World Leaders
“Hi Joan!... I just listened to your podcast…and it was fabulous. I loved hearing your questions and her story….So fascinating! Thank you…You have a truly magnetic personality and a gift for bringing people together. I was inspired…”
Mia Brabham
“Joan, thank you for such a thoughtful and inspiring discussion. I really enjoyed the rich conversation about different areas of innovation…. your perceptive questions, potent probes and astute observations.”
Alfia Ilcheva, Women in Innovation
“Joan, you light up our lives with your passion and vision for the possible.”
Russell Dagleisch, CEO, Scottish Business Networ
"Electric Ladies has quickly become a favorite in my feed! I'm consistently impressed by the engaging conversations, insightful content, and actionable ideas shared. I truly learn something every time I listen!"
Olivia Baker
“A lot of these times we see these problems as having binary solutions, it’s either we stay and defend…or we just pick up and leave, but there’s a lot of space in between.” Andrea Dutton on Green Connections Radio
Geologist Dr. Andrea Dutton was awarded the coveted MacArthur “Genius” award recently for her work in finding an innovative way to predict sea-level rise and identify the options for managing it. Listen to her explain her innovative approach – and how that approach might be used in other context too – to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson in this inspiring and fascinating interview.

On my way back from New York after emceeing the 2019 annual Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards Gala at Lincoln Center, it occurred to me that there are a number of important tips I could share for anyone who wants to be an engaging public speaker.
It was gratifying to have so many people in the audience compliment my emceeing after the gala, including top members of the company’s team, one of whom thanked me for “capturing the soul and spirit of the event.” So, what worked? Here are a dozen tips:

Being able to speak in public is crucial to career success in today’s world where the media is everywhere, cameras are everywhere, and you can end up on social media without knowing it. Being a public speaker who moves people in a positive way can be a powerful career advantage too. But how? And how do you land those coveted opportunities to land on a TEDx stage?
Listen to Tricia Brouk, former long-time producer of TEDxLincolnCenter in New York City who used to approve or reject speaker pitches and who trains speakers to succeed today, in this remarkable interview with Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson – and more career advice too.
“Your biggest challenge is your biggest opportunity. Get people into the system so they can change the culture and the industry to clean energy” – Katie Mehnert on Green Connections Radio podcast.
At the 2020 World Economic Forum where global leaders across industry gather in Davos, Switzerland every January, climate change took “center stage,” as The New York Times headline put it. A key topic of debate was the conundrum of providing clean energy to everyone on the planet and it is abundantly clear much more rapid innovation is needed, including of the oil and gas sector. But how?
Listen to Katie Mehnert, who spent 20 years in the oil and gas sector and remains devoted to it, in this surprisingly candid interview on Green Connections Radio podcast with Joan Michelson. Katie passionately lays out the urgent need for the sector to innovate and why bringing more women into the industry is key. Katie left a job in Big Oil that she loved to start Pink Petro to get more women into energy industry leadership.

We know that women and men are essentially recruited in the same amounts out of college, or in entry level jobs, yet only 6.6% of women are Fortune 500 CEO’s (as of 2019). Employers complain that women leave before they can be promoted, taking the employers’ investment in recruiting, training and developing their talent with them. Why are women leaving? It’s well, complicated. Listen here to learn what women are saying is missing at work and why they leave for another job.

To solve today’s most intractable problems – from climate change to inequality to combating terrorism and corruption – as well as business challenges, we need the most creative ideas we can find, figure out how to do them, and then find ways to implement them. So, when I met my guest today, I knew I needed to introduce you to her. Listen to my interview with Courtney Bickert, social innovator and comedienne, with her thoroughly different take on social innovation.

Jules Pieri and her company The Grommet have learned so much from launching their own business and over 30,000 products on their e-commerce site that sells hand-picked products made by small “makers” — including the hazards of selling on Amazon — that she decided to write a book about it. In her extensive interview with Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson, about her book, “How We Make Stuff Now,” Pieri explains key lessons learned (including how to manage Amazon, if you do go to it.

As we face climate week at the U.N. this week, one of the more delicate issues is the threat that climate change poses to our food supply and in turn, the way our current food systems exacerbate climate change. You’ll learn about: • how the current way we get our food – our food systems – can make climate change worse.; • how climate change is endangering our food supply; • the facts about “organic” foods and how they can help the rest of the food supply; • 3 tips for eating to aid mitigation of climate change (instead of make it worse).
• And great career tips!
“What a successful program you produced and moderated last night! You’re a fabulous host – your questions were great, the panel was superb and the audience was really engaged.”
-Cathy Trost, Executive Director andEmail us using the contact form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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